Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Brokeback as an Anti-Gay Polemic : essay by W.C. Harris
Clyde-B:
Using the same kind of logic that’s being used to say BBM is an anti-gay polemic, we could mount an equally cogent argument that ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is actually a cautionary tale for teenagers illustrating the dangers of fraternizing with your family’s enemies. After all they both wind up dead in the end. I think that argument would be just as perverse and preposterous.
It’s true that Annie proulx’s story looks like it belongs to the forbidden love genre. The intent of that genre of course is to caution people from straying beyond society’s boundaries. To stay within and uphold social mores. At the end the audience looks at each other and thinks, “See what happens when you do that? See how it winds up?”
I didn’t hear the audience say that at the end of BBM. What I heard were things like: “Why did Jack have to die?” “Why couldn’t they have had their happy life?” “Why did it have to turn out like that.” Statements that indicated the audience would rather see the old mores abolished and new mores established more favorable to Jack and Ennis.
What Annie Proulx has done is use the formula of the forbidden love story, but Jack’s death doesn’t prove society right. Jack dies so that Ennis will finally realize that he loves Jack. She has used the forbidden love format to write a traditional tragic romance.
All artful literature can be interpreted in more than one way. If it’s well written, it’s like real life where the meanings aren’t all spelled out. I think the majority opinion of BBM is that it is a tragic romance illustrating the destructive effects of rural homophobia. It can be interpreted other ways, but I believe the majority opinion is correct. Just like the majority opinion is correct for ‘Romeo and Juliet.’
Artiste:
Thanks Clyde-B!
You say: It’s true that Annie Proulx’s story looks like it belongs to the forbidden love genre.
...
Clyde and others: May I reply that Annie could have had at least one (either Jack or Ennis) not marry a female?? I wish!! But no, the story and/or BM movie slides only like Romeo and Juliet, a cheap trill I say!! - is that such hetero-lizing... even gays as well as straights, bi-s or others?? The issue does not focuse on homosexuals... as a main concern about gays?? Or even about about advancing society in order to get it more and more civilized regarding gay life or lives?? In many ways, the film is anti-gay!!
What long term solution, if any, since always gays get to be murdered because they are gays!! That is not news, just copycatting, I say!!
Awaiting your news and hopes,
hugs!! May gays be safe!!
RossInIllinois:
In the begining the movie appears to break new ground until the last 1/2 hour then it starts looking like a stereotypical gay subject matter movie where something bad has to happen to the gay guy. Not unlike the movie As Good as it Gets, and many many others. Its to bad this story/movie could not have been more of a clean slate and broken some new ground. BBM has more "gay is bad" stereotypes and situations than the positive im afraid even for 1963. The message BBM sends is two men can fall in love and get each other off but nothing good will come of it and you will never be really happy if your "gay". IMO this is a very anti gay film with a very good disguise as a love story to soften the blow. (no pun intended)
Oregondoggie:
Romeo and Juliet is a great anti-love story then?
RossInIllinois:
--- Quote from: Oregondoggie on January 15, 2008, 01:54:19 am ---Romeo and Juliet is a great anti-love story then?
--- End quote ---
Its simply forbidden love of a different type. In BBM the love between two men is looked upon many times as negative NEVER positive such as.. "Jack Nasty" "Stemmin the rose" "I don't have a job for you" and the rodeo clown scene and still another scene that was filmed but cut from the final film. All subtle anti gay innuendos. Why do you suppose the producers didn't hire a gay director? Think about it.
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